Art is available to view everywhere here and the city's reputation is well earnt. There is one road that typifies this tradition and that is Canyon Road. It was a quiet Sunday as we headed to this road, a short walk from our hotel. For art lovers and in particular those who appreciate statues of every style, this road is teeming with walk-in studios and you could spend hours just visiting a fraction of those. The weather was warmer than forecast although just right for strolling and taking photos. We soon came across a handy cafe called the Tea House where we had sandwiches and drinks. They had an impressive list of teas and lived up to their moniker. I was pleased to see flat white on the coffee list and went with that whereas Alice had the mint green tea.

We then headed back down the street and to the local Wholefoods Store to get food for dinner. Our hotel had a cooker and we were determined to cook and not eat out again. Whilst walking back we passed a milkshake shack, Shake Foundation, and the much under-represented aspect of this blog, the shake bit, needed to be addressed. Alice ordered the chocolate mud shake and she says it was delicious and very thick. The straw however was barely up to the task. We're gonna need a wider straw!

Dinner was a fish, chorizo and chickpea combo that was expertly cooked of course. We thought about going to the cinema but decided on a quiet night instead.

Three nights booked in a huge room here in Santa Fe- plenty of room to spread out and relax for a few days and even a real fire to light with a supply of logs outside the room. Was pleased to find the birthday fizz and card as requested for Charlies birthday were there waiting for him .

Its Charlie's birthday ! He starts the day with a pretty horrid breakfast , we then go to an art gallery that has the oddest art (why is there a painting of a monkey on a donkey?) We get dressed up for the evening and have cocktails followed by posh burgers:)

Yeah, At least Wal-Mart serves a purpose once in a while, campers can always stay free, you seem to be always on the move, have you had time to do some seroius hiking? Are most parks open? It's one thing to see the sights on TV , but to live them firsthand is always so fascinating, we are always humbled by Mother Nature and what she gives us...keep on truckin' (old sixties rant) and be safe...luv, PapaJim

What felt chilly last night was positively cold this morning. With a fresh start to the day we ensured we didn't miss a hot breakfast at the hotel.

We layered up on clothing and made our way to downtown. We crossed railway tracks on the way in and came across an art market. It was a Saturday and the small market was bustling with what looked like a mix of locals and tourists. Further down the track there was another small market, this time selling local food produce. We grabbed a coffee to stay warm and continued to walk.

Downtown has the familiar Spanish feel of a town plaza and roads spiralling out from there. The unique adobe architecture, that is a building requirement in Santa Fe, is warm in colour and smooth in nature. Without a right angle in sight, I was reminded of the Gaudi buildings in Barcelona. We snaked in and out of the shops in the area and decided on getting lunch at a cafe. Alice had mac n cheese and I had a chicken burger, both were warmly received. Now that we were full, we embarked on discovering a bit of history.

The New Mexico History Museum has a few floors covering the history of the state as well as temporary exhibitions on varied topics such as cigar boxes. We were interested in the region and we were both impressed with the displays and information covered throughout. The Native American History of the region is covered with artefacts and personal accounts and the Spanish involvement in the area began around 1610, just three years after the Jamestown settlement began and ten before the Mayflower landed. The most important Spanish building in Santa Fe was the Palace of the Governors which was constructed in 1610. The building is still there and is the oldest continuously occupied public building in the United States. As part of the admission to the museum we were also able to walk around the Palace which also had a number of displays and information boards. Back in the museum, other aspects of New Mexico's history were covered including information on the Manhattan Project and the numerous atomic tests that were carried out in the state. It is a revealing and proud museum that is highly recommended. We browsed the gift shops for both the museum and the Palace and then headed home.

For dinner we went to a local Modern Japanese Restaurant. We both ordered the Teriyaki Chicken that was beautifully presented, although it was basically a grilled chicken breast on top of vegetables with the teriyaki sauce in a small cup next to the plate. That must be the modern twist. It was tasty nonetheless and also a generous serving. We then polished off the jasmine tea and headed home for the evening.

We started the day with an early morning run around the lava field, as you do! Then we cruised on up to Albuquerque and finally started getting out of the
Chihuahuan desert and into the hills. After the amazing petroglyphs in Texas we had high hopes for Petroglyph National Monument, but were pretty underwhelmed by the 400-700 year old graffiti (we are now petroglyph snobs!) - if you see the photos you will understand...

The CRAZY driving and Friday night traffic put us off a quick stop off in Albuquerque and we overnight in another really nice public campground in the edge of town which even had its own casita. In the morning we decide to drive the looooong way round to Santa Fe but 15 minutes into the drive up into the massive mountains it said the pavement (aka the road to any 'normal' people) stopped, so we thought Elvis wouldn't thank us for that we bailed and ended up on the Interstate (which we have mostly avoided up to now).

As we were in the middle of the Texan desert for our anniversary we decided to splash out in Santa Fe and have booked into a hotel (to be honest it cost us $30 as I cashed in loyalty points, but don't tell Jo)! We spent the day meandering through the beautiful old city of Santa Fe, with its amazing adobe buildings, buying lots of native Indian jewellery, and enjoying a few cold ones on a terrace overlooking the main square. Tonight we are having a posh meal out and a night on the town.Read more

I never dropped LSD, but after a couple of hours in this interactive museum, I think I have a pretty good idea of what it was like. 😳

Meow Wolf’s first permanent installation, launched in March 2016 with support from Game Of Thrones creator George R.R. Martin, showcases the THEA Award-winning House of Eternal Return, where guests discover a multidimensional mystery house with secret passages, portals to magical worlds, climbing apparatus, and surreal, maximalist & mesmerizing art exhibits.Read more